Court to cut patent costs

Scottish SMEs will be able to protect patents and intellectual property more easily with the relaunch of the Patents County Court in England.

Fiona Nicolson, an IP lawyer and partner at Bristow, says the court's new set of procedural rules and costs regime will make IP litigation cheaper and limit potential costs exposure.

She said: "While this is a London court, its powers will cover all of the UK and it will be of interest to many of the smaller enterprises operating in knowledge rich sectors of the Scottish economy, such as life sciences.